So, your prospects have gone cold? Here are the 4 reasons why…
1. Your prospects were already cold
Prospects don’t suddenly go cold. When a prospect goes cold, chances are they’re already cold but don’t feel able to tell the salesperson to go away. They let you keep speaking to them, so you think they’re warm. In reality, they were a cold lead all along. Be aware of the signs and the response you’re getting from someone. Are they warm, or just being polite?
2. Your prospects were hot, but then bought from someone else
It could be that the prospects were hot and wanted to buy. For one reason or another, the salesperson overcomplicated the situation, was slow following up, or didn’t give the prospect the space to buy. If prospects are frustrated with the salesperson, but need the product or service, they’ll go elsewhere and buy from someone who can help them quickly.
3. You put the pressure on, and they cooled down
It could also be that you’re moving too quickly for your prospect and piling on the pressure. If your timeline doesn’t align with theirs, and they don’t feel the same urgency to buy as you do to sell, then putting the pressure on can make your prospects feel uncomfortable and smothered.
4. You weren’t speaking to the decision maker
Prospects go cold when they aren’t the decision makers, haven’t involved the decision makers, and have nothing to update them with. It could be that you achieved a nice to have, instead of a must have, and your prospect isn’t going to ask the decision maker to approve this.
How to overcome these situations…
In most scenarios, it’s the salespeople who caused prospects to go cold – either because they were talking to the wrong person, moving at the wrong speed for the prospect, or didn’t convince the prospect that they must have the product or service on offer.
Find out how your sales team measures up! We can provide individual evaluations for your salespeople – get in touch to find out more.